Chapter Three: The Rejection Arose

LIANA.

A harsh tug on my arm jolted me from the depths of unconsciousness. My eyes fluttered open, but it took a moment to process the cold stares, the sneering faces surrounding me. Rough hands gripped me, pulling me upright. Disoriented, I blinked against the blinding light of day, my head throbbing from where I’d hit it against the forest floor. It was still dark and the rain had already stopped but my clothes still dripped of water.

“Look at this pathetic excuse for a wolf,” one of them sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.

I tried to gather my bearings, but the world spun around me, a blur of scornful faces and mocking laughter. My clothes were soaked from the rain and clung to me, dirt streaked across my skin. I could feel their eyes crawling over me, dissecting me as if I were some lesser creature, something beneath them.

“She’s wolf less,” another voice muttered with disgust, the words slicing through me like a knife. It wasn’t enough that my own family and pack hated me—now strangers would, too. I felt a shiver turn down my spine as they circled me, like vultures waiting to descend.

They forced me to my knees, pressing me into the damp earth. My heart hammered in my chest, a mix of fear and humiliation swirling through me. I didn’t dare to look up; I kept my eyes trained on the ground, trying to block out their voices, their laughter.

And then, amidst the cruel faces and harsh voices, I saw him.

He stood a little ways off, tall and commanding, his presence unmistakable even among the others. The wolves around him seemed to part, creating a path as he approached. Dark hair framed his striking face, his sharp jawline set in a hard line, and his eyes… his eyes were like a storm, filled with a cold disdain that chilled me to my core.

I felt an odd pull, something deep and primal within me that I didn’t understand. My gaze locked onto his, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes. Something that made my heart race, that stirred a feeling I couldn’t place.

But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, replaced by a look of pure contempt.

His eyes swept over me, taking in my disheveled state, the dirt and bruises marking my skin. His lip curled, disgust flashing across his face.

“Pathetic,” he spat, his voice laced with venom. “Is this what fate has cursed me with? A wolf less nobody?”

The words hit me like a slap. Mate? The thought drifted through my mind, but I shoved it down, refusing to hope for something that could never be true. And yet… a part of me, the part that had always longed for belonging, couldn’t help but ache at his rejection.

He moved closer, towering over me as I knelt on the ground. I could feel the weight of his gaze, the judgment in his eyes. My hands clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms as I tried to hold back the shame and humiliation that threatened to swallow me whole.

“You,” he continued, his voice dripping with scorn, “are the furthest thing from a mate that I could ever imagine. A wolf less girl like you… it's laughable. A wolf-less mate? I’d rather die alone than claim you.”

A chorus of laughter rose around me, the wolves around him sneering and jeering. I kept my gaze fixed on the ground, willing myself to disappear, to fade away so that I wouldn’t have to endure this any longer.

Without warning, he shoved me, his hand striking my shoulder with enough force to send me sprawling backward. My head cracked against a rock, a fresh wave of pain blooming as the world blurred around me. Spots danced before my eyes, and I struggled to push myself up, but my body felt like lead.

“I, soon to be Alpha Raiden Gray, son of Alpha Maddox Gray, reject you as my mate,” he sneered, the words dripping with disdain. “A wolf-less bitch like you could never be my mate. I reject you completely, and I want nothing to do with you.”

The rejection felt like fire ripping through my chest, an unbearable pain that stole my breath and left me gasping. My hand flew to my heart, clutching at the agony that radiated through me, a physical manifestation of his words. It felt like something inside me was breaking, tearing apart with each passing second.

The wolves around him laughed, their voices a cruel symphony that filled the clearing. I could hear the murmurs, the mocking whispers, the disdain in their tones. And through it all, he simply stood there, watching me with that same look of disgust, as if I were a stain he couldn’t wait to wash away.

He turned his back on me, his voice cold and final.

“Do whatever you want with her,” he said, addressing the wolves around him. “She’s of no use to me. But most importantly make sure she doesn’t leave this territory alive.”

Panic surged through me, my mind reeling as his words sank in. He was leaving me here, in the hands of wolves who would do as they pleased with me. I was nothing more than a discarded piece of trash to them, something to be used and thrown away.

“Pl…please don’t leave me here,” I cried out loudly, my voice cracking with fear and terror. “I…I’m your fated mate, please!”

He didn’t look back, neither did you respond to my pleas, he just walked away. The wolves moved closer as they saw him out of sight, their eyes gleaming with malicious intent. I could feel their hands on me, rough and unyielding, their laughter echoing in my ears as they grabbed at me, ripping at the thin fabric of my blouse. I struggled, weak and desperate, but there was little strength left in me. My arms were pinned, my attempts to fight them off met with cruel laughter.

“Relax, wolf-less bitch, you will enjoy it as much as we will,” one of them sneered, as he licked his lips with his tongue in a disgusting manner.

One of them slid a hand beneath the folds of my skirt, his touch cold and invasive. I felt a surge of nausea rise within me, panic clawing at my throat as I struggled against the hold of the wolves surrounding me. Their hands were everywhere, pulling, tearing, each touch a reminder of how helpless I was.

Why? The thought echoed in my mind for the fourth time, a desperate, hopeless question. Why am I always the one left to suffer?

They pressed me down into the dirt, their hands greedy and insistent, and for a moment, I thought I would suffocate under the weight of their cruelty. My body felt like I was giving up, surrendering to the darkness that threatened to consume me.

But then, amidst the chaos, a sound cut through the air—a deep menacing growl that made the wolves around me freeze. The sound was powerful, commanding, filled with rage that shook me to my core.